MRSA, P. aeroginosa, E. coli and VRE are regarded as a “superbugs,” antibiotic-resistant bacteria responsible for serious infections in hospitals and other healthcare facilities (“nocosomial” infections). Such infections are approaching epidemic proportions. These bacteria are resistant to standard cleaning procedures and most antibiotics.
Compounding the difficulties in combating MRSA and other superbug growth and infections is the fact that the organisms grows within biofilms which form on surfaces and which protect the bacteria from adverse environmental factors. A biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms in which the cells adhere to each other and/or to a surface. They are frequently embedded in a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular DNA, proteins and polysaccharides. Biofilms form on surfaces, including fabric, fibrous and porous surfaces, such as wearing apparel, liners, drapes, carpets and fibrous contents of walls, screens, ceilings and room dividers.
As reported in a recent article entitled “Assessment of Athletic Facility Surfaces for MRSA in the Secondary School Setting” (Journal of Environmental Health, Feb., 2010), the authors stated that “Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) was once largely a hospital-acquired infection, but increasingly, community-associated MRSA (CA-MRSA) is causing outbreaks among otherwise healthy people in athletic settings. Secondary school athletic trainers, student athletes, and the general student population may be at elevated risk of MRSA infection.”